The present invention relates to an outlet for attachment to a divided channel raceway, and more particularly to a power outlet which can be mounted on the communication side of a divided raceway and including a terminal interface arm for connection with the wires on the power channel of the raceway.
Divided channel wiring raceway systems have become common practice for utilizations requiring the installation of power and communication conductors within the same wiring duct. These raceway systems are frequently utilized in commercial or industrial settings where design, layout, production, and equipment requirements are constantly changed or upgraded. Flexibility and adaptability in these constantly evolving environments makes the surface mount raceway system the preferred method over conductors installed within the walls of a building. However, the wiring plans generally require both power outlets and communication outlets and frequently more than one of each on the raceway system. A disadvantage found in systems of this type is that for termination purposes the standard communication and power outlets are terminated in a manner such that they need to be mounted over the communication or power channels respectively of the divided system. In particular, a standard power outlet is terminated with wires extending rearwardly from both sides of the receptacle. Thus, in view of the UL isolation requirements it has been necessary to mount the power outlet over the power side of the raceway. And while there is need for a significant amount of channel space for the cables in the communication side, there is relatively little room required for the power cables.
Another alternative for placement of the standard power outlet in a divided channel raceway system is to not have the separate power side large enough to contain the power outlet, but to precisely cut the divider wall where the outlet will be and provide an additional insulative box mounted to the raceway. The insulative box would be positioned beneath the outlet in order to provide the required separation between communication cables and power wires. This results in problems related to the destruction of the divider wall as well as the precision needed to cut the divider wall for proper placement of the outlet. Also, the extra depth taken up in the channel by the additional insulative box reduces the area for the communication cables.
Thus requiring the power outlet to be mounted over the power channel such that the power wires can be connected to a standard outlet leads to a much larger power channel than is necessary and subsequently a much larger raceway system than is desired. Similarly requiring the precise cutting of the divider wall in conjunction with the use of an extra insulative box for terminating a standard outlet over the communication channel has drawbacks. Therefore, improved power outlets for use with divided raceway systems are desired.
To address the above-described issues, a new and useful divided channel raceway system is provided wherein the system includes a divided channel raceway having a divider wall for partitioning the channel raceway into a power channel and a communication channel and a power outlet including a base mounted substantially over the communication channel and a terminal interface arm extending from the base into the power channel to facilitate connectivity with power wires therein.
Also disclosed is a power outlet for a divided channel raceway system including a divided channel raceway having a divider wall for partitioning the channel raceway into a power channel and a communication channel. The power outlet includes a base mountable substantially over the communication channel and a terminal interface arm extending from the base into the power channel to facilitate connectivity with power wires therein.
Also disclosed is a method for installing a power outlet in a divided channel raceway system including a divided channel raceway having a divider wall for partitioning the channel raceway into a power channel having a plurality of power wires therein and a communication channel having at least one communication wire therein. The power outlet includes a base and a terminal interface arm extending from the base. The method includes the steps of positioning the power outlet such that the terminal interface arm can be inserted into the power channel, inserting the terminal interface arm into the power channel, and rotating the power outlet to retain the terminal interface arm in the power channel and to mount the bases substantially over the communication channel.